Campus News

Learn More and Take Action Against the HHS Mandate3/14/2012(updated 4/18/12)

The recently announced Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate is a serious assault on religious liberty and freedom of conscience, according to Fr. Donald Nesti, CSSp, director of the University of St. Thomas Center for Faith and Culture.

On March 5, the Center hosted a lunch and lecture featuring constitutional law scholar R. Randall Rainey, who examined this crisis and outlined ways to respond. As explained by Rainey, the HHS Mandate defies the Catholic principle of subsidiarity – an organizing principle emphasizing that political decisions should be made at the local level rather than by a central authority - and compels individuals and institutions to violate their conscience to avoid incurring financial penalty from the federal government.

On April 12, the Center hosted a panel discussion on religious freedom featuring the Most Rev. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and Francis Rooney, former US Ambassador to the Holy See. Rainey also returned to join Cardinal DiNardo and Rooney in discussing religious freedom – its place within our Constitution, current threats to it and how best to respond to these threats within a Catholic context.

Take Action

Along with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and many others who value religious freedom, the Center for Faith and Culture is committed to assist in seeking the elimination of the HHS Mandate by offering the best resources available for individuals to educate themselves on this issue and take action: